Renault F1 to pay Nelson Piquet huge compensation for libel
Discussion
If this has been posted already, sorry and please delete.
Telegraph said:
Renault F1 to pay Nelson Piquet huge compensation for libel after 'Crashgate' scandal
Nelson Piquet Junior and his father have won “substantial damages” and court costs from Renault F1 following libellous comments relating to the race fix scandal surrounding the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
Renault issued an official apology in court for what it had said. "On 11th September 2009, Renault F1 Team Limited ("the Team") issued a Press Release, which was repeated on our website, in which we suggested that Nelson Piquet Junior and his father had lied by making false allegations that members of the Team and Nelson Piquet Junior caused a deliberate accident at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix," said Renault.
"We also suggested that these lies were invented in order to blackmail the Defendant into allowing Mr Piquet Junior to drive for the Team for the remainder of the 2009 season, and he and his father were therefore guilty of a serious criminal offence.
"The Team accepts – as it did before the World Motor Sport Council ("WMSC") of the FIA and as found by the WMSC in its decision of 21 September 2009 – that the allegations made by Nelson Piquet Junior were not false. It also accepts that Mr Piquet Junior and his father did not invent these allegations in order to blackmail the Team.
"As a result, these serious allegations contained in the Press Release were wholly untrue and unfounded, and we withdraw them unequivocally. We would like to apologise unreservedly to Mr Piquet Junior and his father for the distress and embarrassment caused as a result.
"As a mark of the sincerity of our apology and regret, we have agreed to pay them a substantial amount of damages for libel as well as their costs, and have undertaken not to repeat these allegations at any time in the future."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formul...
An interesting snippet is this:Nelson Piquet Junior and his father have won “substantial damages” and court costs from Renault F1 following libellous comments relating to the race fix scandal surrounding the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
Renault issued an official apology in court for what it had said. "On 11th September 2009, Renault F1 Team Limited ("the Team") issued a Press Release, which was repeated on our website, in which we suggested that Nelson Piquet Junior and his father had lied by making false allegations that members of the Team and Nelson Piquet Junior caused a deliberate accident at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix," said Renault.
"We also suggested that these lies were invented in order to blackmail the Defendant into allowing Mr Piquet Junior to drive for the Team for the remainder of the 2009 season, and he and his father were therefore guilty of a serious criminal offence.
"The Team accepts – as it did before the World Motor Sport Council ("WMSC") of the FIA and as found by the WMSC in its decision of 21 September 2009 – that the allegations made by Nelson Piquet Junior were not false. It also accepts that Mr Piquet Junior and his father did not invent these allegations in order to blackmail the Team.
"As a result, these serious allegations contained in the Press Release were wholly untrue and unfounded, and we withdraw them unequivocally. We would like to apologise unreservedly to Mr Piquet Junior and his father for the distress and embarrassment caused as a result.
"As a mark of the sincerity of our apology and regret, we have agreed to pay them a substantial amount of damages for libel as well as their costs, and have undertaken not to repeat these allegations at any time in the future."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formul...
Telegraph said:
Piquet's lawyer Dominic Crossley, the same one who acted for former FIA president Max Mosley in his high profile case against the News of the World, said: "This marks the start rather than the end of the long journey they are both taking to correct many of the wrongs that took place during last year's "crashgate" scandal. They were both treated appallingly by Renault F1 when they dared to reveal the scandal to the governing body; and Nelsinho was abused terribly throughout his absurdly short career in F1.
Who will they be going after next?Edited by bcnrml on Tuesday 7th December 18:02
PedantLosesGrip said:
touring fan said:
bcnrml said:
Who will they be going after next?
Pretty obviously Flav should be expecting a knock on his door from a summons-server.Sam.F said:
bcnrml said:
Telegraph said:
Nelsinho was abused terribly throughout his absurdly short career in F1.
Who will they be going after next?Edited by bcnrml on Tuesday 7th December 18:02
does it now matter to anyone involved that even though he was given and order by the team to crash, that nelson was the one that actually caused a crash. this is match fixing at the least and at the most extremely dangerous to himself, the other drivers and paying public. if a cricketer got caught match fixing they would be arrested along with who ever paid him to do it, and the player in question would be banned.
so why hasn't piquet jnr been banned? not that anyone will ever pay the t
t to drive in the future anyway.
so why hasn't piquet jnr been banned? not that anyone will ever pay the t
t to drive in the future anyway. If an employee is put under undue and excessive pressure by an unscrupulous employer to do something "wrong", that would be taken into account when deciding how much culpability rests on the shoulders of the employee.
Of course, Piquet did not break any law. He broke some sporting rules. So any sanctions against him would come from the relevant sporting authorities, not the law courts. But they should, and would, adopt a similar approach to a court.
I think Piquet was right to sue Renault who had started spreading allegations against him personally, when all he had done was obey his team's instructions - however flawed and unscrupulous they may have been.
Of course, Piquet did not break any law. He broke some sporting rules. So any sanctions against him would come from the relevant sporting authorities, not the law courts. But they should, and would, adopt a similar approach to a court.
I think Piquet was right to sue Renault who had started spreading allegations against him personally, when all he had done was obey his team's instructions - however flawed and unscrupulous they may have been.
Eric Mc said:
If an employee is put under undue and excessive pressure by an unscrupulous employer to do something "wrong", that would be taken into account when deciding how much culpability rests on the shoulders of the employee.
Of course, Piquet did not break any law. He broke some sporting rules. So any sanctions against him would come from the relevant sporting authorities, not the law courts. But they should, and would, adopt a similar approach to a court.
I think Piquet was right to sue Renault who had started spreading allegations against him personally, when all he had done was obey his team's instructions - however flawed and unscrupulous they may have been.
Piquet Jnr. according to the reports at the time was the one who offered to crash. Hopefully we'll never see this family again in any Formula. How they have wriggled themselves out of Life long bans and censure is disgraceful.Of course, Piquet did not break any law. He broke some sporting rules. So any sanctions against him would come from the relevant sporting authorities, not the law courts. But they should, and would, adopt a similar approach to a court.
I think Piquet was right to sue Renault who had started spreading allegations against him personally, when all he had done was obey his team's instructions - however flawed and unscrupulous they may have been.
^ I agree with this. Seems to have been swiftly forgotten that Jr was the one who crashed the car endangering the rest of the field. I appreciate the team order/pressure bit, but the man was a professional and should have known better.
I know a ban would have been a mere formality anyway (who'd employ the clown?) but still.
I know a ban would have been a mere formality anyway (who'd employ the clown?) but still.
jamieboy said:
telecat said:
Piquet Jnr. according to the reports at the time was the one who offered to crash.
Was that ever confirmed, or was it part of some Briatore/Symonds/Renault http://en.espnf1.com/renault/motorsport/story/3602...
SRT77 said:
jamieboy said:
telecat said:
Piquet Jnr. according to the reports at the time was the one who offered to crash.
Was that ever confirmed, or was it part of some Briatore/Symonds/Renault http://en.espnf1.com/renault/motorsport/story/3602...
I reckon the list is long, and that they've got contemporaneous evidence of every repetition of the libellous claims.
They could have settled this - and I suspect Renault would have tried to settle, but a very public win as they now have clears their name in the eyes of the law. Still, I expect many on here (and commenting on this thread) are intimate with far more than was heard in the courts.
Oh, and of course no-one's sued him yet have they? They've threatened (and blustered as bullies do) but where's the threatened litigation?
Vvroom said:
^ I agree with this. Seems to have been swiftly forgotten that Jr was the one who crashed the car endangering the rest of the field. I appreciate the team order/pressure bit, but the man was a professional and should have known better.
I know a ban would have been a mere formality anyway (who'd employ the clown?) but still.
He was a very young, impressionable man manipulated by some very unpleasant people, I can empathise with him. I know a ban would have been a mere formality anyway (who'd employ the clown?) but still.
But he should still be banned for life, just for the example as much as anything.
It's sad, but it's not like we've lost a great. Daddys name and daddys $$$ got him there.
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